Stephen Hawking Slams Donald Trump, Calls Him A ‘Demagogue’
Stephen Hawking slammed Donald Trump and admitted to being perplexed by the billionaire’s presidential popularity.
Stephen Hawking was asked if he could explain Donald Trump's rise. His response? "I can't." https://t.co/DjV7fPfyJc pic.twitter.com/RzkGMpOUSk
— CNN (@CNN) May 31, 2016
In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Stephen Hawking explained how the presumed Republican presidential nominee was a “demagogue, who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.” Hawking’s response was prompted after being asked if he could see the appeal in Trump, according to CNN. The Donald Trump campaign has yet to respond to the scientist’s comments.
Hawking also used this televised opportunity to urge British citizens not to vote for parting from the European Union come June 23, according to MSNBC.
After Stephen Hawking slammed Donald Trump in his television interview, the scientist explained how departing from the European Union could be detrimental to the survival of Britain. Hawking said that “gone are the days when” the United Kingdom could “stand” on its “own, against the world.”
“We need to be part of a larger group of nations, both for our security and our trade. The possibility of our leaving the EU has already led to a sharp fall in the pound, because the markets judge that it will damage our economy.”
Unlike Trump’s views on immigration, Stephen Hawking mentioned that immigration could be beneficial to the United Kingdom by “encouraging the exchange of scientific ideas,” reported MSNBC.
Stephen Hawking being verbal about serious matters isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon. Hawking has been known to be very outspoken and fervent on his opinions regarding disability advocacy in the Great Britain, middle eastern politics, and of course, science.
Previously, Stephen Hawking had joined an academic boycott of Israel in response to the country’s treatment of Palestinians, according to the Guardian. In terms of policies regarding Britain’s terminally ill, Hawking has thrown his support behind the use of assisted suicide. As for science, he recently assisted with a $100 million project, which would allow a small spaceship to accelerate at a fifth of the speed of light. The ship would be sent to the nearest star system, reported the Guardian.
Stephen Hawking’s dissent with Donald Trump’s ideas isn’t the only criticism the Republican has received from Britain’s political and public figures. While on the campaign trail, Trump exclaimed that Britain has a “massive Muslim problem.” In response to such a statement, the Republican frontrunner received backlash from the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister David Cameron and London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan have made their disdain for Trump clear. In December of 2015, Cameron called Trump “stupid” for his “divisive” statements about British and American Muslims, according to the Daily Mail.
Many sympathize with Stephen Hawking when it comes to this topic. After the Republican frontrunner insulted Muslims from the United Kingdom, a petition was started by the country’s citizens to ban Trump from being able to enter Britain. Still, Cameron refused to sign the petition, which had gained over more than a million signatures. The Prime Minister said that though he wouldn’t sign the petition, if Trump were to visit the United Kingdom, the country could still “unite against him.”
Stephen Hawking, who has suffered from ALS for many years, and the rest of the disabled demographic are a critical vote for Donald Trump. Last November during a campaign event, Trump mocked a New York Times reporter, who has arthrogryposis, which is a physical disability, making it hard to move your joints. Trump pretended to sympathize with the Times reporter, saying, “Now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy,” followed by impersonating the journalist’s arm movements.
Do you agree with Stephen Hawking’s opinions of the presumptive republican presidential nominee?
[Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize Foundation]
